1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a ball joint assembly and the method by which it is mounted in a receiving member.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A known ball joint assembly has a socket housing with an annular flange. A seal mates with the flange to close an opening through which the shank of a ball stud extends. When the ball joint assembly is to be mounted in a receiving member, force is applied against the flange by a press-in-tool to force the ball joint assembly into an opening in the receiving member. This requires that the flange be sufficiently large so that an area outside of the seal can be engaged by the press-in-tool to press the ball joint assembly into the receiving member.
The relatively large flange on the housing of this known ball joint assembly limits manufacturing options in the making of the housing. With the large flange, coldheading becomes difficult or impossible. While the housing could be machined, the cost is prohibitive due to the amount of material being removed to form the relatively large flange.